News Release

News Contact:

University of Illinois Physicist Dr. Myron SalamonTo Become Dean of Natural Sciences andMathematics at The University of Texas at Dallas

Highly Regarded Scientist, Administrator to Assume Post on Oct. 15

RICHARDSON, Texas (July 19, 2006) — Dr. Myron B. Salamon, professor of physics and associate dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will become dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NS&M) at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD), effective Oct. 15. Salamon will also hold a newly endowed distinguished chair position in physics.

"I was attracted to UTD by its drive to become a major public research university and, in particular, by NS&M’s pivotal role in achieving that goal,” Salamon said. “My aim is to make the school a model for 21st Century academic research and education. It will draw strength from traditional disciplines, but will attack scientific and technological problems and the training of young scientists from an integrated, cross-disciplinary perspective.”

Beginning Oct. 15, Dr. Myron B. Salamon will become
dean of the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

“We are delighted to have such a highly regarded scientist and administrator as Myron Salamon accept this important academic leadership position at UTD,” said university President Dr. David E. Daniel. “This is a key hire for UTD as it pursues its goal of joining the ranks of the nation’s top research universities.”

Daniel and Salamon were colleagues at Illinois, where Daniel served as dean of the College of Engineering before he became the fourth president of UTD on June 1, 2005.

“Having worked closely with Dr. Salamon, I know him to be both an expert researcher and gifted administrator,” Daniel said. “In particular, he is a very effective recruiter of academic talent, which will serve NS&M well as it continues to expand its faculty, degree programs and areas of research. Dr. Salamon is exceptionally well prepared to make a very significant, positive impact at UTD.”

Salamon received a bachelor’s degree in physics from the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon University) and a Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of California, Berkeley. In 1966, he joined the Department of Physics at the University of Illinois, one of the top-ranked physics departments in the United States.

During 1995-96, Salamon served as a distinguished visiting professor with the Japan Ministry of Education at Tsukuba University, and in 1996 was the Matthias Scholar at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Since 2000, he has been the associate dean and director of the Experiment Station in Illinois’ College of Engineering.

He is noted for his research in experimental condensed matter physics, phase transitions, superconductivity and the properties of magnetic materials. Salamon is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Neutron Scattering Society.

Dr. John Ferraris, professor and Department Head of Chemistry, has served as interim dean of the school for nearly three years while also continuing his active research program. Daniel thanked Ferraris for his “outstanding leadership in the interim role, which permitted the university to conduct a deliberate, thorough and, ultimately, successful search for a new NS&M dean.”

NS&M has grown dramatically in recent years and has taken an increasingly interdisciplinary approach to scholarship. Areas of focus include space sciences, nanotechnology, biotechnology and sickle cell disease research, as well as more traditional disciplines such as geosciences, chemistry, physics, biology and mathematics. The school has two Nobel laureates on its faculty -- Dr. Alan MacDiarmid, co-winner of the 2000 Nobel Prize in chemistry, and Dr. Russell Hulse, a visiting professor and co-recipient of the 1993 Nobel Prize in physics.

The next phase in the school’s expansion is expected to occur by year’s end, when UTD plans to open a 200,000-square-foot Natural Science and Engineering Research Laboratory, equipped with the latest research facilities and equipment, on its campus.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls nearly 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s web site at www.utdallas.edu.